


First Meeting

by Caiti (Caitriona_3)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Fae & Fairies, Gen, No Fandom - Freeform, Original Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-03
Updated: 2015-05-03
Packaged: 2018-03-28 21:31:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3870460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caitriona_3/pseuds/Caiti
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An unexpected meeting at an in-between place gives Ashlyn a glimpse into a whole different world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first bit of original (i.e. non-fandom) work I have ever posted. (All of my work is original in its own way, but this is my own universe!) Done for a Writerverse challenge.

“Come on, Ashlyn!”

Ashlyn Greene sighed as she stood up and leaned against the pine tree she had just been reading under for a moment. Really, couldn’t they handle this by themselves? They just needed to pick a few wildflowers. Why were they bothering her? She closed her book and tucked it into her backpack. A wry smile curved her lips as she patted the trunk of the tree. “See you again soon.” Hefting the pack onto her shoulder, she made her way towards the sound of laughter.

“Ashlyn!”

“I’m coming!” she called back, irritation clear in her tone. Her voice dropped to a mutter. “Why was I cursed with younger sibs?”

She came to a bridge crossing over the brook which ran through this section of the forest. The wind seemed to pick up as she stepped onto it and she paused in the center to close her eyes and let herself feel the breeze as it moved past her. This wasn’t the type of day she would have chosen for gathering flowers – chilly and foggy as if nature herself were trying to hold back spring. The scents of damp moss and dew-laden oak trees circled around her as the sound of the brook seemed to laugh beneath her feet. 

“Take them home.”

Ashlyn gasped at the sudden deep voice, her eyes flying open as she stepped away. A tall man stood next to her, his dusky skin offset by the pale gray of his hair. Dark green eyes stared down at her, deep and dark as they swept over her before focusing on her face. She flushed and floundered for something to say. “I….I…I’m sorry, what?” she managed at long last.

“Take the children home,” he repeated. Her eyes darted towards the opposite bank, noting the deepening fog with a sudden spurt of fear, before turning back to him once more. He touched her cheek. “It is not safe for them to play in the meadows today. Take them home and wait for the sun.”

Though his finger felt cool against her skin, the touch sent a warm sensation through her. It gave her strength enough to push her fear away and she nodded. “Yes, sir,” she agreed with a nod.

“Good.” He gave her a grave smile and his finger traced down her cheek to her chin. A little pressure turned her face upwards. “Daughter of Earth, chosen of Pine – you are welcome in these woods. None shall harm you within these boundaries.”

“Th…Thank you,” she stammered, bewilderment filling her mind.

“Go now,” he said, “and take them home. We will speak again another time.” 

Ashlyn watched as he stepped back to the edge of the bridge and then… He vanished! She stared at the spot, frozen in surprise until renewed laughter startled her into motion. The others! He said they were in danger! She ran towards the meadow, following their usual path – a small one often overgrown with vines and tree roots. 

Not so today.

Or…not exactly.

Vines pulled back as she approached, clearing her way towards the meadow. Tree roots lay flat against the ground, no longer a danger to her steps. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind. Not now, she told herself. She could not think about it now.

Her steps brought her into the meadow. She searched until she found her three younger siblings. “Tynan! Lucian! Erin!” she called to them, waving them towards her. “We need to go home.”

The boys rolled their eyes and stomped towards her, but Erin skipped towards her, a bouquet in her hands. “Ash!” she shouted. “Look at all the flowers we found!”

“I see them, Erin,” she tried to smile. “You can show me more at home. We need to go.” Her eyes scanned the field, something about the mingled fog and light making her nervous. Shadows crept along the ground, shifting in the wind and out of sync with the light. A shudder ran through her. “Come along,” she continued. “We need to go. Now.” 

Tynan opened his mouth, but Lucian beat him to it. “Why?”

“Not now!” she insisted, pulling out her sharpest glare as she looked at her brothers. “Go!”

The three of them took off, running for the bridge towards home, unwilling to argue with her in this mood. She followed them, noting shadows trying to follow the others or cut her off from them. Her steps sped up as her breath grew shorter and she dodged around a dark tendril and into the forest. 

Sounds of hissed disappointment erupted behind her and she slowed, glancing back to see small dark figures pulling away from the trees, fading as they fell back. She stopped, one hand resting against the bark of a tree, and watched them. Their eyes burned as they stared at her, malevolence in every pair. She shivered, but warmth flowed into her through the bark beneath her hand. Turning to look at the tree, she saw nothing unusual – the bark and greenery the same as always – but she could still feel the warm sensation of acceptance and protection sliding through her.

“Thank you,” she whispered, leaning her forehead against the trunk. “I don’t know how or why or even what you’re doing, but…thank you.”

A new breeze played with the ends of her hair and she felt embraced by the forest as soft words touched her mind. “You are welcome.”

“Ashlyn!”

Erin’s voice drew her away from the pine and her fingers trailed along the bark until she turned away. She still needed to get her siblings home. That was what the man… Was he a man? No, she didn’t think so, but she didn’t know what else to call him. Spirit? Fae? Something else entirely? Whatever or whoever he was, he had come to warn her – she owed him for that. Who knew what those shadows intended?

“Ashlyn!” 

Tynan and Lucian’s voices Joined Erin’s this time and she sighed. Right – she had to finish her task and get them home. Then she would have the hardest part of all – keeping them home until the sun returned. “I’m coming!” she called out, casting one last look towards the meadow and it’s shadowy evil before turning her back with a resolute defiance. She made her way towards her siblings and found them waiting just around the next curve of the path. “Let’s go home.”


End file.
